Combination saddle-blanket and horse-cover.



J. MoGOMAS & J. F. S. HOWLAND.

COMBINATION SADDLE BLANKET AND HORSE COVER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 28, 1910.

Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. McCOMAS & J. P. S. HOWLAND.

COMBINATION SADDLE BLANKET AND HORSE COVER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1910.

Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

2 SHEETEP-SHEBT 2.

zuoawl e W/VW Mr- Monw COLUMIIIA I'LANOGRAPII 60., wnnmnma. In L UNITEdTATES PJtTENT FFTQE.

JESSE McCOll/IAS, OF LOS ANGELES, AND JAMES F. S. HOWLAND, OF INGLEWOOD;

CALIFORNIA.

COMBINATION SADDLE-BLANKET AND I-IORSECOVER.

To all whom "it may concern:

Beit known that we, Jnssn MoGoMAs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, California, and Janus F. S. .ITKHVLAND, acitizen of the United States, residing at the town of Inglewood,California, have invented a new and useful Combination Saddle-Blanketand Horse-Cover, of which the following is a specification.

Among the objects of this invention .is to provide a horse cover,especially adapted to military uses, of such acharacter that the samemay at all times be conveniently kept with the horse so as always tohave at hand means to afford the protection from cold and inclementweather which is most essential to the good health of the animal. Thispurpose is accomplished, in part, by adapting the horse cover to befolded up into a pad which may be conveniently carried over the saddlepad proper, the latter desirably being a relatively thick pad of hair orwoolly material.

Our combination blanketand horse cover can be opened out into a perfectcover for the horse by slightly lifting the saddle from back of horse,said cover being converted from a saddle pad to a blanket while still onthe back of the horse. The saddle can be placed on horscs back over hairpad and horse cover and the horse can then be ridden with the horsecover in use to protect him from the weather.

An important feature of the invention is that neither the surcinglestraps nor any of the other attachments of the cover come under thesaddle when said cover is folded up to form a pad.

By means of a thong the blanket is always held up from the withers ofthe horse in such a manner that it is absolutely impossible for eitherthe pad or the blanket to slip to the rear under the saddle. The saddlepad being removably attached to the horse cover proper, it is held inplace under the horse cover so that said pad can be turned over and usedwith first one side uppermost and then the other.

When employed for military purposes, this combination blanket not onlyprovides warmth and protection for the horse at all times, but itremoves from the wagon transportation one horse cover for each horsewhich, for a troop of cavalry at war strength, amounts to about 515pounds.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 28, 1910.

Patented A11 22, 1911.

Serial No. 599,757.

Moreover, should the wagon transportation become stalled on the road andthe troop or battery con'nnandcr wish to make camp during excessivelycold weather, the horse has immediate protection by the use of thiscombination device. The combined weight of our horse cover and asuitable pad for placing thereunder scarcely exceeds the weight of thewoolen saddle blanket now in use in the United States army. The cost ofmanufacturing this horse cover, including a suitable saddle pad toaccompany same, will be considerably less than cost of manufacturing thehorse cover and woolen saddle blanket now in use in the United Statesarmy.

The invention is primarily for military purposes, but is by no meanslimited to army use. llcretofore, so far as we are aware, no horse coverhas been devised which is adapted to so great a variety of uses. Ourhorse cover when folded up makes a suitable saddle pad or is, at least,adapted to be placed upon a saddle pad and form a desir: able additionthereto.

\Ve believe that this invention embodies many broadly new features andmany important advantages and we are aware that various modificationsthereof may be made without departing from the general principles of theinvention as embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention inwhat is at present deemed the preferable embodiment, Figure '1. is aside view of the body of a horse showing the cover in place in theextended position; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail showing thepommel of the saddle and illustrating the means for securing the coverthereto to prevent the same from slipping to the rear; Fig. 3 is anenlarged perspective of the horse cover .--l1()\\'l1ig the same foldedup to form a saddle blanket and showing a saddle pad in place under saidcover. This view also shows a fragment of the saddle cloth illustratedin Fig. 4t Fig. 4t is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a saddlecloth; Fig. 5 is a crosssection on line or of Fig. 3 on a still largerscale than that of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the upper side ofthe entire horse cover showing the same in extended position; Fig. 7 isa cross-section on line :12 of Fig. 6.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the horse cover is designated in ageneral way by the numeral 1 (particular parts of said blanket will bespecifically described and lettered). Said blanket is shown fullyextended in Fig. 1 to protect the horse but in Fig. 2 it is shown foldedup to for n a pad of restricted area which may be completely covered bysaddle cloth 2 shown in detail in Fig. 1, said saddle cloth being alsoshown under the saddle 3 in Fig. 1. In order to keep said horse cover 1from slipping toward the rear from under the saddle when the same isfolded up as shown in Fig. 8, and also to prevent a tendency to slip tothe rear such as would cause it when ext-ended to bind the chest of thehorse, said horse cover 1 is provided with a fastening device desirablyconsisting of a strap 4t secured to said horse cover near the front edgethereof and adapted to cooperate with a stud 5 to which it is fastened,said stud being formed on the front side of the pommel 6 of the saddleas best shown in detail in Fig. 2. The saddle cloth 2 is provided withan opening 7 through the central part of the front portion thereofthrough which said fastening strap t. may extend. Said saddle cloth 2 isitself provided with a fastening strap 4, which may be withdrawn throughthe opening 7 and extended back under the saddle cloth as shown in Fig.3, except when the cloth 2 alone is used under the saddle.

- The horse cover is provided with a front marginal portion or flap 8and with a rear marginal portion or flap 9, said flaps being adapted tofold over upon the body portion of said cover when the same is folded upto form the pad shown in Fig. 3. The front flap 8 is provided with anaperture 11 through which the fastening strap 1 may extend when saidflap is folded down upon the body portion of the horse cover, and therear flap 9 is provided with a corresponding aperture 12 which comesinto register with the front aperture 11 when both flaps are folded downupon the body of the horse cover. Either flap may lie on top of theother, the flap first folded down coming under the one last folded down,it being immaterial which is folded down first.

The horse cover is also provided with marginal side portions or flaps 13and 14. As illustrated in the drawings, the flap 13 will come on the offside and the flap 1 1 on the near side of the horse when the horse coveris extended over the body of the horse. hen the side flaps 13 and let.are both folded down upon the back of the horse they will meet under thecenter of the saddle but will separate slightly over the withers and atthe rear of the saddle on account of the two latter points being alittle higher than the middle of the horses back. There will,

therefore, be room for the attaching strap 4 to extend up between theside flaps through the openings 11 and 12 in the horse cover and alsothrough the opening 7 (see Fig. 4:) in the saddle cloth in order thatsaid fastening strap 4 may be connected to the stud 5 carried by thepommel of the saddle. The lines along which the four flaps justdescribed fold are dotted in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 1 the saddle is shown provided with the usual quarter straps 15and 16 which are connected to the surcingle 17. The horse cover isprovided on each side with an elongated reinforced slit or aperture 18through which the cinch may pass.

In order to hold the side portions of the extended horse cover down uponthe body of the animal a. front surcingle 1.9 and rear surcingle 21 areprovided. Said surcingles are formed on one side by means of surcinglestraps 22 (see Fig. 6), carrying buckles 23 at their free ends and areattached at their other ends to the horse cover at points designated 24,said points being spaced away from the edge of the horse cover. Plainsurcingle straps 25 are provided onto which the buckles 28 buckle tohold the horse cover in place. The latter straps 25 are likewiseattached at points 26 spaced away from the margin of the flap on thenear side of the horse so that when the surcingle is buckled under thehorse the lower edges of these flaps hang free on each side to avoidinterfering with the movements of the legs of the horse. At the frontend of the horse cover the same is provided on one side of the horsesneck with front buckles 27 and on the other side with strap ends 28 tohold the flap in place across the chest of the horse. As already statedthe fastening strap 4 which is connected to the pommel of thesaddlekeeps the connection formed by the straps 2S and buckles 27 frombinding upon the chest of the horse. An important function is thereforesecured from the combination of these two fastening elements and this isone important feature of the invention. At the rear of the horse cover acrupper strap 29 is provided to keep the rear portion of the cover inplace. The ends of said crupper strap are attached to the cover by meansof pivot rivets 36 which permit said strap 29 to straighten out as shownin Fig. 6 when the cover is folded up to form the pad, thus preventingsaid crupper at such time from projecting out into view.

The body portion of the horse cover is provided along its mid-width withmain gussets 31, and along the mid-width of the rear flap is provided anauxiliary gusset 32. lVhether the saddle blanket is extended or foldedup under the saddle the main gusset 31 causes the body of the cover tofit the hollow part of the horses back under the saddle. When the horsecover is extended the auxiliary gusset 32 causes the rear flap to fitover the swell of the back along the haunches, but when the rear flap isreversed by reason of being folded forward under the saddle, the convexside thereof fits into the concavity formed by the main gusset 31. Thusa perfect fit of the cover is secured both in the folded and unfoldedpositions. The latter feature of our invention we also consider to bebroadly new.

The horse cover is provided on its under side with four keepers :53consisting of connections having their ends attached to the cover toform loops. Said keepers are each adapted to receive one of the cornersof an under pad 3st. It will be noted that these keepers S3 permit theinsertion of the pad 34: either side up and also permit .its readyremoval for cleaning. l urthermore said keepers perform their retainingfunction equally well whether the horse cover is in its folded orextended position. The cloth 2 (see Fig. -il-) may be provided withsimilar keepers 33, to hold another pad thereunder when a pad is usedunder the saddle without the horse cover.

The surcingles 19 and 21, in addition to perforn'iing the function ofholding the cover in place on the horse, serve to keep the flaps of thecover in place when said tlaps are folded to form a saddle pad as shownin Fig. 3. This result is accomplished largely by means of clasps 35which contain sockets and are secured to the ends of the side [laps 13and 14, the straps being provided with studs to cooperate with saidsockets in the clasps.

o claim:

1. In combination, a horse cover provided with a strap extending from a.point located approximately at the mid-width of one face thereof whensaid cover is converted into a saddle pad to secure said cover to thesaddle.

means for securing said strap to the saddle,

and a saddle-cloth adapted to lie between said cover and the saddle,said cloth having an aperture through which said strap extends.

2. A horse cover having a strap secured thereto, said horse-cover beingadapted for folding upon itself to form a thicker cover of smaller area,there being an opening through an upper fold through which said strapmay project when said cover folded. to form a saddle blanket and acooperating securing means on the saddle for the said strap to keep saidcover in place.

3. In combination, a horse cover provided with front and rear marginalportions or flaps adapted to fold over upon the body portion of saidcover, said cover being also provided with marginal side portions ortlaps adapted to fold over upon said front and rear [laps after the samehave been unfolded. means to fasten said front flap around the breast ofthe horse, means to fasten said rear llap down upon the horse, and meansto engag: an upright stud on the ponunel of the saddle to keep thecentral or body portion of said horse cover in place, the parts beingconnected and arranged to hold said cover free from the withers of thehorse.

-'l. In combination, a saddle pad, and a horse cover having on one sidekeepers into which the corners of said pad are adapted to slip, and onthe reverse side means to at tach said cover to a saddle.

In combiinition, a rectangular saddle pad, and a, horse cover having onone side four connections attached thereto to form keeping loops adaptedto receive the corner portioi'is of said pad. and on the reverse sidemeans to attach said cover to a saddle.

(3. A horse blanket adapted to be folded into a saddle pad having at\\'opa1't connection adapted to form a. surcingle, the two parts ofsaid connection being adapted to be connected together to hold saidcover folded into a. pad form, and fastening devices to connect anintermediate portion of said connection with said cover when folded intoa pad.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, California, this 21st dayof llccember, 1.5)10.

JESS l) M( :Ct )MA S. JAMES F. S. IIOWI'ANI).

lVitnesses ALnnn'r ll. Ml-iuni'nn, FRAN Ii l V. IlovnY.

Copies of this patent; may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

